Supporting motherhood

Pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period are times of great physical and emotional change. To support these transformations, several complementary practices contribute to the overall well-being of future and new parents, in addition to traditional medical care.

Without providing an exhaustive list, certain approaches are frequently used in perinatal care: acupuncture, osteopathy, massage therapy, yoga, prenatal singing, and counseling. Each can be chosen according to the individual’s needs and preferences.

These interventions help relieve discomfort, promote relaxation, strengthen the body’s and mind’s ability to adapt, and create a deep bond with the baby. They can also be part of an interdisciplinary approach, where practitioners share their expertise around a common goal: to respond in a personalized way to the needs of the individual, who remains at the heart of the intervention plan.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture can be beneficial at all stages of perinatality:

• Before pregnancy: it promotes fertility by correcting energy imbalances as soon as they appear.
• During pregnancy: it relieves many discomforts (nausea, anxiety, constipation, lower back or sciatic pain, circulatory problems, sinusitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, nosebleeds), prevents premature births, and can correct breech presentation between the 30th and 34th weeks (with an estimated success rate of 85%).
• As the due date approaches: it prepares the body by promoting relaxation of the perineum, stimulates uterine contractions, and can help induce labor when the due date has passed.
• Postnatally: it helps relieve pain associated with uterine retraction, alleviate baby blues or postpartum depression, support breastfeeding, and promote overall recovery.

Osteopathy

Osteopathy aims to improve the mobility of the body’s structures (joints, muscles, nerves, vessels) in order to reduce tension, restore balance, and relieve pain.

• During pregnancy: it promotes pelvic harmony and uterine mobility, thus optimizing the baby’s position and facilitating delivery. It can also relieve various discomforts such as lower back pain, sciatica, pubic pain, reflux, constipation, headaches, and sleep disorders.
• After childbirth: it helps rebalance the pelvis, support the pelvic floor, digestive and hormonal systems, and relieve pain associated with breastfeeding.
• For the baby: even in the absence of symptoms, a preventive assessment can detect possible tensions or asymmetries. Osteopathy can thus improve digestion (reflux, colic), reduce torticollis, prevent plagiocephaly, and support overall mobility.

The osteopathic techniques used in perinatal care are gentle, precise, and safe for both mother and baby.

Massage therapy

Massage therapy promotes relaxation, relieves tension, and helps the body regain its balance during each phase of motherhood.

• Preconception: massage helps calm the nervous system, promotes deep relaxation, and can support fertility, whether natural or assisted.
• During pregnancy: it allows pregnant women to better feel their bodies, connect with their babies, and adapt their bodies to changes. It relieves stressed areas such as the pelvis, shoulder blades, and rib cage. At the end of pregnancy, certain points can be stimulated to facilitate preparation for childbirth.
• Postnatally: massage offers a moment of respite, gentleness, and rejuvenation. It can alleviate tensions related to breastfeeding, support physical recovery, and strengthen emotional availability towards the baby.

Prenatal singing

Prenatal singing, accessible to all, allows you to reconnect with yourself and your baby through voice, breathing, and movement.

• It promotes the secretion of endorphins, helps manage pain, and prepares the body for childbirth.
• It creates a powerful emotional bond with the baby through sound vibrations, which stimulate its development (nervous system, muscle tone, language).
• The partner also has a role to play: their voice provides security and comfort to the baby, both during pregnancy and after birth.
• After birth, singing helps to soothe the newborn, while supporting the mother’s physical recovery and morale. Certain rocking techniques also contribute to the child’s motor and brain development.

Perinatal yoga

Prenatal and postnatal yoga offers adapted postures, breathing techniques, relaxation and visualization techniques that promote overall well-being.

• During pregnancy: it relieves various discomforts (sciatica, reflux, hemorrhoids, pelvic congestion), promotes relaxation and body awareness, and can help optimize the baby’s position at the end of pregnancy.
• After birth: it offers a gentle return to physical activity, focusing on toning the perineum, bringing the rectus abdominis muscles closer together (reducing diastasis), and strengthening the abdominal muscles. Babies are often included in the session, promoting their psychomotor development and strengthening the parent-child bond.

Yoga is also a path to greater self-awareness, grounding, and presence in one’s experience, which is particularly valuable during motherhood.

Supportive counseling

Motherhood can reawaken old wounds, fears, or relationship tensions. Counseling professionals offer individual, couple, or group support to:

• Get to know yourself better
• Calm overwhelming emotions
• Overcome limiting behaviors or past patterns
• Experience the transition to parenthood more serenely

Asking for help to get through these adjustments is an act of kindness towards yourself and those around you.

For a comprehensive and personalized approach

Integrated in a respectful and complementary manner, these approaches can profoundly enrich the perinatal experience. The choice to use them is based on each person’s needs, preferences, and pace. By surrounding yourself with a caring support network, it is possible to experience pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period with greater comfort, confidence, and harmony.

Marie Fortier
Baby specialist

Reviewed by Marie Panier, osteopath – Centre L’Odyssée.

Updated: April 2025.